The latest word from both ownership and players is that they will find a way to get the season from being lost; that no matter what, they will come to an agreement last minute. Whether you buy that or not, one thing for certain is that there WILL be an NFL draft in April. Just don’t hold your breath for those players to sign, because that cant happen until a new Contract is done!
So there will be a draft- Super. The draft is why the Bucs were 10-6 last year and not 3-13 like the year before. Gerald McCoy started to come on before he got hurt, Myron Lewis got good valuable playing time, Arrelious Benn hauled in some nice deep bombs and progress like a rookie should, overall the Bucs were pretty happy with those guys, which would have made for a very good draft class.
But when you add on Cody Grimm and Mike Williams, your talking about what could be the best draft class in Bucs history, including 1995’s! Time will tell of course.
Last draft the Bucs targeted the defensive line’s interior, and this one will probably see the outside pass rushers get picked up. But while this article series will NOT get into whom the Bucs should pick, it is more of an analysis of position by position based on needs, draft history, and availability of talent pool in that area.
Lets dig in!
Today: Defensive Backs-
Raheem Morris spent most of his 6 seasons in Tampa Bay in the DB section of the defense. While under D Coordinator Monte Kiffin, the Bucs defense was more centered on the front four. Defensive linemen were asked to generate enormous pressure allowing the defensive backs to play back in their Cover 2 to wait for interceptions. Morris, being a DB man at heart, has the back four as the primary focus of this new Bucs Tampa 2.5.
It also happens to be the Bucs best-stocked area on the team.
Sources say the Bucs will be sticking with safety Tanard Jackson, who wont be able to rejoin the team until after week 2. T-Jack is by far the most ball hawking safety the Bucs have, and is rivaled only by corner Aqib Talib for his seemingly innate ability to pick off balls from the other team. Talib was leading the league with 6 when he was lost for the year in week 12’s throwback rematch with Atlanta. Jackson was lost after week 2 with his year long suspension for violating substance abuse policy, and the only downside on Jackson is the fact that he is probably only one transgression away from a lifelong ban from the game.
The rookie Cody Grimm virtually cemented his name in the starting roster with his play in 2010. His first game vs the Steelers got him the wrong end of the spotlight by being out of position on a Mike Wallace TD reception for the Steelers. Quietly he regrouped in that game, and the next week did something at safety John Lynch never did in his career here in Tampa Bay; Intercept the ball and run it back for a touchdown- which he did against the Bengals.
Grimm too however was lost during the season in an injury sustained against the Ravens. In fact, only the old man, Ronde Barber, finished the season unscathed; which is one of the reasons No. 20 will return for another year in Pewter.
Waiting in the wings are corners Myron Lewis and E.J. Biggers who preformed admirably during the year, and one of them will be the heir apparent for Ronde Barber while the other will have nickel duties. Safety Sean Jones will be back to compete and add depth.
Much like the Defensive line of the late 90’s, the defensive backs are the bread n butter of the Bucs’ defensive efforts, and with a little more pass rush, the defensive secondary will set the tempo for this defense for years to come.
Status of Draft needs? Very Low. Its doubtful the Bucs will draft a DB higher than the 5th round IF at all.
UP NEXT: Linebackers
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